The Pennsylvania School Code, enacted in 1949 and codified primarily in Title 24 of the Pennsylvania Statutes, is the state law that governs how public schools operate. It sets the rules for enrollment, attendance, curriculum, teacher certification, discipline, safety, and dispute resolution, and it works alongside Department of Education regulations in Title 22 of the Pennsylvania Code and several federal statutes. The provisions below are the ones most likely to matter to families and educators.
Who Can Enroll and What Schools Require
Under 24 P.S. 13-1301, every child who lives in a Pennsylvania school district and is between six and twenty-one may attend the district’s public schools free of charge.1New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Pennsylvania Statutes Title 24 P.S. Education 13-1301 – Age Limits; Temporary Residence A student who turns twenty-one during the school year and hasn’t graduated can finish the term at no cost. Schools cannot deny enrollment based on immigration status, homelessness, or past academic performance.
To enroll a child, parents or guardians generally provide proof of age, residency, and up-to-date immunization records under 22 Pa. Code 11.11. Residency can be shown with utility bills, a lease, or a sworn affidavit. Immunization requirements sit in 28 Pa. Code Chapter 23, Subchapter C, which reaches public, private, and parochial schools as well as home education programs.2Cornell Law School. 28 Pa. Code 23.81 – Purpose and Scope Medical and religious exemptions are available.
Homeless students have stronger protections under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 U.S.C. 11431 – Statement of Policy Under 42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(3)(C), a school must immediately enroll a homeless child even without the usual records — previous academic records, immunizations, or proof of residency.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 U.S.C. 11432 – Grants for State and Local Activities for the Education of Homeless Children and Youths The enrolling school then contacts the previous school and helps the family obtain any needed immunizations. Districts must also arrange transportation so a homeless student can keep attending their school of origin, including for school-sponsored extracurricular activities.
Compulsory Attendance and Truancy
Compulsory school age in Pennsylvania runs from the point a parent chooses to enroll their child (no later than age six) until the child turns eighteen.5Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Compulsory School Attendance Unlawful Absences and School Attendance Improvement Conferences During those years, a child must attend a day school where instruction is in English and covers the subjects prescribed by the State Board of Education. Public schools, private and parochial schools, charter and cyber charter schools, and approved home education programs all satisfy the requirement.
Absences are classified as excused or unexcused based on the reason and the documentation the parent provides. Illness, family emergencies, religious observances, and medical appointments are commonly accepted excuses. After a student accumulates unexcused absences, the school must notify parents and may convene a School Attendance Improvement Conference to identify barriers and put a plan in place. Persistent truancy can lead to referral to a community-based attendance program or a citation before a magisterial district judge.
Chronic absenteeism is a separate federal metric: missing at least 10 percent of school days (roughly 18 in a typical year), whether excused or not.6U.S. Department of Education. Chronic Absenteeism Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, chronic absenteeism rates appear on school report cards, so excused absences that add up still affect a school’s public profile.
Curriculum and Graduation Standards
Under 24 P.S. 15-1511, Pennsylvania mandates instruction in core academic subjects: English, mathematics, science, history, civics, health, and the arts.7U.S. Department of Education. Pennsylvania State Regulation of Private and Home Schools The State Board of Education sets what students should know at each grade level through the Pennsylvania Academic Standards in 22 Pa. Code Chapter 4. School boards choose instructional materials and design local curricula to meet those standards, and the Department of Education is explicitly barred from imposing a statewide curriculum or reading list.8Legal Information Institute. 22 Pa. Code 4.4 – General Policies
Graduation requires proficiency on the Keystone Exams, end-of-course assessments in algebra I, literature, and biology. Students who don’t score proficient can pursue alternative pathways. Younger students take the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment in earlier grades to measure progress. Schools that consistently miss performance benchmarks may face state intervention under 24 P.S. 17-1709-B, including corrective action plans or restructuring.
Discipline and Due Process
Districts write their own disciplinary codes under 24 P.S. 13-1318, but those codes must respect due process. A student facing any suspension or expulsion must receive notice of the charges and a chance to respond. A principal can impose a short-term suspension of up to three school days on their own authority. Longer suspensions and expulsions require a formal hearing before the school board, where the student may present evidence and witnesses.
Corporal punishment is prohibited under 22 Pa. Code 12.5. Teachers and staff may use reasonable physical force only to break up a fight, disarm a student, or protect themselves, other people, or property.9Legal Information Institute. 22 Pa. Code 12.5 – Corporal Punishment
Extra Protections for Students with Disabilities
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act adds procedural steps when a student with a disability faces disciplinary removal. Before a school can change the student’s placement for more than ten consecutive school days, or for shorter suspensions that form a pattern totaling more than fifteen days in a year, the school must hold a manifestation determination review. The review asks whether the behavior was caused by or substantially related to the disability, or whether it resulted from the school’s failure to implement the student’s Individualized Education Program.
If the behavior is a manifestation, the school cannot proceed with expulsion. The team must instead conduct a functional behavior assessment and put a behavioral support plan in place, or revise the existing one. If the behavior is not a manifestation, the student can be disciplined like any other, but the district still owes a free, appropriate public education throughout the removal. Even an expelled student with an IEP is entitled to continued services.
Weapons, Bullying, and School Safety
Article XIII-B requires districts to develop comprehensive safety plans covering threats from natural disasters to violence, and to run regular drills for fire evacuation, lockdown, and other emergencies. Federal guidance from the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center recommends behavioral threat assessment teams that include a school administrator, a mental health professional, and a public safety representative such as a school resource officer.
The weapons rule at 24 P.S. 13-1317.2 imposes a mandatory expulsion of at least one year for any student found to possess a weapon on school property, at a school-sponsored activity, or on transportation to such an activity. The definition of “weapon” is broad and includes knives, firearms, and any instrument capable of inflicting serious bodily injury. A superintendent may recommend case-by-case modifications to the one-year expulsion.10National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments. Pennsylvania School Discipline Laws and Regulations – Restraint and Seclusion
Districts must also adopt anti-bullying policies under 24 P.S. 13-1303.1-A. Those policies must define bullying (including cyberbullying), set out reporting procedures, and outline consequences ranging from counseling to expulsion. Superintendents must be notified of investigation results within two school days, and schools must offer responses tailored to the severity of each incident.
Special Education Timelines
Pennsylvania follows federal IDEA rules and layers on its own timelines. Once a school receives a parent’s signed consent for an initial evaluation, the evaluation must be completed within 60 calendar days, excluding summer vacation.11Office for Dispute Resolution. Timelines and Notices Parents must receive the evaluation report at least 10 school days before the IEP meeting, though a parent may waive that waiting period in writing.
After the evaluation report is issued, the IEP must be completed within 30 calendar days. Once finalized, the school must begin implementing it within 10 school days.11Office for Dispute Resolution. Timelines and Notices Missed timelines are among the most common procedural violations parents raise in disputes and can support a due process complaint.
Student Records and FERPA
The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act controls how schools handle student records. Schools generally cannot release personally identifiable information from a student’s education records without written parental consent, or the student’s own consent once they turn eighteen. Several exceptions let schools share records without consent:
- Directory information such as names and grade levels, if the school has properly designated the categories and given parents a chance to opt out.
- Sharing with school officials who have a legitimate educational interest, including third-party contractors performing work the school would otherwise do with its own staff.
- Audits or evaluations of federal or state education programs.
- Health and safety emergencies where disclosure is needed to protect people.
Parents who want to limit what a school shares should submit a directory-information opt-out at the start of each school year.12U.S. Department of Education. FERPA Exceptions Summary
Teacher Certification and Ongoing Training
Only certified educators may teach in Pennsylvania public schools. Section 1201 of the School Code lists the certificate types that qualify a person to teach, and the Department of Education oversees the process.13Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 1949 – Chapter 12 – Certification of Teachers To earn an initial Instructional I certificate, a candidate needs a bachelor’s degree from an approved institution and must complete a teacher preparation program aligned with the Chapter 49 regulations at 22 Pa. Code 49.1 et seq.14Legal Information Institute. 22 Pa. Code 49.1 – Definitions Candidates must pass subject-matter assessments (currently the Pennsylvania Educator Certification Tests or Praxis Series exams) and clear criminal background checks before entering a classroom.
Act 48 of 1999 requires every holder of a Pennsylvania public school certificate to complete continuing education every five years. The options include six semester credits of college coursework, six credits of PDE-approved continuing professional education courses, 180 hours of approved professional development, or a combination.15Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. General Act 48 FAQ Educators who fall short risk having their certification moved to inactive status.
School Board Authority and Open Meetings
Every public school district is run by a locally elected school board. Under 24 P.S. 5-501, boards set policies, approve budgets, hire and evaluate superintendents, negotiate employee contracts, and ensure the district follows state education law. Boards may adopt their own governance rules under 24 P.S. 5-510 as long as those rules don’t conflict with state law. When a district falls out of compliance, the Department of Education can act under 24 P.S. 6-687, including by withholding state subsidies until problems are fixed.
Board meetings fall under Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act at 65 Pa.C.S. 701–716, which requires agencies to deliberate and take official action in public with prior notice. Anyone attending may object to a perceived violation on the spot, and members of the public may file legal challenges in court.16Office of Open Records. Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act (Open Meetings Law)
Charter Schools
Article XVII-A sets the framework for charter schools, which are publicly funded but operate independently of the traditional district structure under a charter granted by the local school board. Denied applicants may appeal to the State Charter School Appeal Board. Charter schools receive per-pupil funding from each student’s home district, calculated from the district’s budgeted expenditures, and must follow the same standardized testing and reporting rules as traditional public schools while retaining more flexibility in staffing, curriculum, and daily operations. Cyber charter schools operate under similar provisions but are authorized at the state level rather than by individual boards.
Challenging a School’s Decision
The Department of Education has direct enforcement authority over districts under 24 P.S. 2-2603-B, including the power to audit and investigate complaints. When a district violates the School Code, the department can issue corrective directives, impose financial sanctions, or intervene in management.
Families have several ways to challenge a school’s decision. Special education disputes go through the Pennsylvania Office for Dispute Resolution, which handles mediation and due process hearings. A hearing officer’s decision can be appealed to state court within 30 calendar days or to federal court within 90 calendar days.17Office for Dispute Resolution. Appeals For enrollment disputes, disciplinary actions, and other non-special-education matters, families pursue administrative appeals through the school board and, if needed, to the Commonwealth Court.
Federal civil rights complaints follow a separate track. If a student or parent believes a school has discriminated based on race, sex, disability, or national origin, they can file with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which investigates violations of Title IX, Title VI, Section 504, and other federal civil rights laws.18U.S. Department of Education. File A Complaint